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Circuit of the Americas and Kevin Schwantz settle lawsuit

March 27, 2014

With just two weeks until the 2014 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas MotoGP event at Circuit of the Americas, circuit officials announced that the lawsuit between motorcycle-racing legend Kevin Schwantz and COTA has been settled. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

With just two weeks to go until the 2014 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas MotoGP event at Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas, circuit officials announced that the lawsuit between motorcycle-racing legend Kevin Schwantz and COTA has been settled.

Terms of the legal settlement between COTA and Schwantz were not disclosed. The two parties had been embroiled in a long-running lawsuit that Autoweek reported on last year.

According to COTA, Schwantz will become an official ambassador for the facility and will work to promote the upcoming Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas MotoGP, set for April 11-13, 2014.

COTA chairman Bobby Epstein said, “Kevin is a great champion, and partnering with him gives us an opportunity to learn from his deep knowledge, as well as to continue to celebrate his accomplishments. Kevin and I have always shared the desire to see him be a part of COTA, and it's awesome to finally see it become a reality. A great American track and a great American champion in the same city can't be kept apart. As a result, casual riders, current racers, future stars and the fans all win.”

Schwantz said he “looks forward to being the ambassador for two-wheel racing for COTA, especially as the 2014 MotoGP season begins and returns to Texas. Grand Prix motorcycle racing has been my life, and to help COTA market and promote that moving forward is exciting!”

Schwantz will also serve as Grand Marshal for this year's MotoGP race.

Additionally, COTA will work with Schwantz to raise money for the Simoncelli Foundation, which was established in memory of Schwantz's good friend, Marco Simoncelli, an Italian MotoGP competitor who will be inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame as a MotoGP Legend in May. Simoncelli died after a crash during the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Between March 28 and April 4, COTA will donate $1 for every ticket purchased for the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas to the Simoncelli Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting humanitarian projects that benefit the disadvantaged.

Schwantz said, “I am thankful for COTA's support of the Simoncelli Foundation, a charity that's important to all of us who knew Marco personally and fans that followed his career. Marco was a great competitor and a very special friend. Now racing fans everywhere can honor his memory and help a cause important to Marco by purchasing a ticket to Austin's MotoGP race.”

Schwantz, a native Texan, was named to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of fame in 1999 and the MotoGP Hall of Fame in 2000. He raced his first Grand Prix in 1986 in the Netherlands and his final Grand Prix in 1995 in Japan. He claimed the 1993 500cc World Championship, and the FIM -- motorcycle racing's governing body -- retired his No. 34 from competition in honor of his successful career that included 25 Grand Prix wins.